Lifting apparatus



p 20, 1949- H. c. REICHARDT 2,482,211

g LIFTING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 2, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.2 I

p 1949- H. c. REICHARDT LIFTING APPARATUS 3 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Dec. 2, 1947 Sept. 20, 19498 H. c. REICHARDT 2,482,211

LIFTING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 2, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 v In ken/o)- Patented Sept. 20, 1949 OFFICE LIFTING APPARATUS Hendricus Cornelis Reichardt, Amsterdam, Netherlands Application December 2, 1947, Serial No. 789,263 In the Netherlands December 21, 1942 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires December 21, 1962 3 Claims.

My invention relates to a lifting apparatus, more particularly to a lifting apparatus for lifting goods such as bags, cases, etc., from the ground to shoulder-height, so that a man can carry the goods further on his shoulder.

The general object of my invention is to provide a lifting apparatus of the kind referred to of simple and practical construction, adapted to automatically lift the goods to the height desired, after they have been placed on the lifting platform of the apparatus and to automatically return the platform into the lower position after the goods have been taken off.

Another object of my invention is to provide a modified construction of a liftin apparatus of the kind referred to adapted to be easily changed into an apparatus for the automatic lowering of loads.

A further object of the invention is to provide for a lifting apparatus of simple form, that can be brought to and erected on the spot of use in a steady position by means of the special foot of the apparatus per se, provided with wheels.

The invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of one form of lifting apparatus in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view showing on an enlarged scale a portion of the liftin apparatus according to the previous figures, and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Figs. 5-8 schematically show an embodiment of the invention adapted for automatically lifting or lowering of loads.

Referring to the drawings I is a lifting platform rotatable about a horizontal axle 9 on a slide 2 which can run up and down between two guides [2 by means of four rollers placed on two such axles situated horizontally one above the other. The unloaded lifting platform is drawn towards the slide 2 by means of tension springs 8. To the upper part of the slide, two hooks 2| are fastened, which hooks serve to limit turning of the lifting platform about the lower axle 9 when the platform is loaded. To the slide, a rotatable 2 axle 20 is attached and is integral with a cam member 5. Seen from the back (Fig. 3), this cam member has on its upper end a cam part bent to the right and on its lower part one bent to the left, while a straight part is arranged between these two parts (Figs. 3 and 4).

When a load is being put on the platform or taken off, axle 20, and with it cam 5, seen from the rear, are turned respectively to the right or to the left, by means of a rod 3 and an arm 4, secured respectively to the platform and to the ame 20.

Parallel to guides l2, a control-rod 1, rotating about its axis, is arranged, which rod is connected with a switch for the lifting motor and has on its lower end a fixed projection B and on its upper end a projection I1 adjustable in height so that the lifting height can be changed. As a safeguard, a fixed projection I8 is provided at the maximum height, which takes over the function of projection I! in case this should not have been sufficiently fixed by the operator, which would otherwise result in the slide overrunning.

By means of a catch I0, slide 2 is connected to an endless chain [3, the lower part of which runs round a drive sprocket l5 and the upper part over a guide pulley I 4, the latter being mounted in a chain tensioning device l6. Over an interconnecting driving gear, drive sprocket I5 is driven on by an electrom'otor provided with a brake. The connection of slide 2 with chain l3 with the aid of catch [0 constitutes a safeguard because if the platform, on its way down, strikes something, the slide is stopped and the chain moves freely past the catch.

Figs. 3 and 4 Show the Slide in its lowest position and with the platform unloaded. When a load is placed on the platform, rod 3 and arm 4 turn the cam 5 to the right, whereby the cam is pressed against projection 6, thus causing the control-rod 1 to turn clockwise. By this rotation, the motor is started and the slide with its load lifted until the upper cam part runs against projection l1, thus causing the control-rod 1 to resume its central position. In this way, the motor is stopped, the brake becomes operative and the slide with platform is stopped. When the load is taken off the platform, the latter is drawn towards the slide under the influence of the tension springs 8 and around axle 9, thus causing the cam 5 to turn to the left. The projection I! now causes the control-rod I to turn in a direction opposite to the direction of the rotary movement when the slide was in its lowest position, so that the driving gear moving in the opposite direction, is started, thus causin the empty platform to go down until the bottommost cam part of cam causes projection 6 to rotate and take up its central position, whereby the drive, I? fi ln- I The vertical part-of the cam providesv for a free slowing down movement so that a close adjusting of the driving motor is not necessary and the inertia of the control-rod with parts con nected no longer plays a part, this therefore be-r ing an'improvement over an arrangement in l which regulating is done by a vertical movement of the control-rod.

The above construction with its rotatingcon trol-rod also makes it'easy to adapt the appal-a ratus for lowering loads.

To this end, arm 4 is replaced bya leverfid,

provided with two arms of equal length, while rod 3 is so mounted on the slide 4 as to be laterally ad-t,

justable on it and can be made to coact with e a m o the, e er: g 5$ V In t e F s-, ra d h s mo i d n ruct Wi .i Q t maiieallyli ins O l ads the atf rm b in in they lowest position.

The operation of the I arrangement has been already described ln- Fig; 5 the platform is un-- a l "E ,6 hQ Pl orm is l ed- In the Figs. f7; and; 8; this modified construction,

is shown fo au mat cal w rins o d th ra tiprmrlb n e i i ne r sit n- In F 7 theg-platf orrnl is unloaded, in Fig. 8 the platform is loaded. I

Inthe modified arrangement a crossbar 2| :is

'4 V erected and to transport the apparatus to the spot of use.

For this purpose the foot of the guide l2 comprises at one side of the guide a platform 22, hearn tresl tt ala te it-emanates eifih driving mechan' [and prgoilided with twogwheels 2s and 245' At "the otherside of thegiiid n the foot is provided with two legs and 26, bearing on the floor, In the erected position the lifting apparatus is steady because of the low positioned heavy parts on the foot and the support by the twiwheefs'isiz'l ahd the legs 25, 26. To transport the apparatus to and from the spot of use itzisz'suflicientto,tilt ithe guide l2 backwards so that the.=legsI -25;l26 come free from the floor and theapparatusiscarried only by the wheels 23, 24. ByQbringi he guide I2 to a horizontal position it is" even possible to move same in the manner of .a wheel barrow.

oun e Qn' he p a orm. t eor arm .3 being I ImtheFigsl; 7 and s the modified construction,

isshown with the rod; 3; connectedto the otherv endl of thele-ver Acathe platform being in its upperv position and thecam 5; adapted to-coact with the upper projection |g1{Qf thecontrolerod T. I

l-n Fig fl the platform is unloaded and the con -v trql rod I is in the central position I, When the platform is now loaded the cam 5 turns the con-,

trol-rod into position IlI bymeans of the proe J'ectiom-l'l (Fig. g) and; the platform is lowered. When the platformhas arrived in the lower 100+ sltion the cam ,5 willturn the control-rod in the central position again 1 The platform will now remain in this position, until it is unloaded, wherebythe control--rod is turned into position II again, ,after which the unloaded platform is lifted; ,Intheupper positionof the platform the control-,rod is turnedinto position I again by cam 5 andprojectionl 'l, and the platform will remain in thislposition untiLit loaded again.

It will now beclear, that by simply connecting arrrr; to either. of the ends of the lever 4a it is possible to adapt the apparatus for automatically lifting or,loweringof loads. e

Transportable lifting apparatus have often beenrnounted on electrocars. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated here above it isv mnqrt npet atihe f e Q he p at f: s s ia tedat a s eadrr ti swhea Therefore, apart fromgthe feature of the automebicrstart and" top ofrtt ehload, thisspecialfo t ons i ties mad ith at:

too muclrrplac llus ta ad emhodimentanzelecshgyvrr iiormoying. 1the,. s1ide.

l -be cl ar b ht lat d-ma y other EnidQ Zm ZQL ZDQW unit.

Therefore th uplins 1Qr. uncoua Which a Qf-theaswit used; o =ou l.e I th mat r onto." and from the 31m chain rhe thaslida amm res nant,

I clai lin mechanism is Saidg e, aotgr forgmovingsaidslidea switch,

me han m ter said motorameaxisiactuated by the;

load, for: automatically SW11;

in the mo f the load, ,means for 4 1 31 1 said motor, when the load has, rrived a .pr lififi sminedheightand meanss act ate utcma i l directi 2. Lifting apparatus comprisingw'a vertical. uide; slide slidahlaalong s id id a, motor e mQ il' 'gfi-igltfiliilfikflnsll mh m chanismror said" motor, a platform connected to said slideqandl ing parallel to said verticaLguide. andbeing pro-1 vided withgia pluralityofi projections adapted to oast with; said cammember, as said;- slide and said platform ,moye ltolei-therlend of said vertical uid 3;. Liftingapparatus. comprising a vertical guide, a slide slidahlealong' said guide, a motorfo'r moving said-slide, ,a switch mechanism'Tf-orsaid motor, a ,platformmonnected to-saidslide and" adaptedto take; a difierentrpositidnl with. regard tQ-z said. slide asit is. loaded. or. unloaded, ea-ha carried 31d; platform and. adjustable trans a para us suited ioreuse. =1electr0cars provided, 9., .exize isive,or would take,

4 '1 sbshe;h 5 may turniin one direction;

mOtQnis uncoupled,- dshyits own weight.

v1. Lifting apparatus comprising a guide, adapt:

hingy,OIl ,Said mOt0I'I i, he remoyalgofcthe load for,

rh witchiaesaidtmotorin thehback'.

6 versely of said p1atform, a rotatable axle mount- REFERENCES CITED ed on said slide, a cam integral with said rotatable axle, a lever fixed in its middle on said rotath f l wing r feren es are of record in the able axle provided with means for connecting fi Of this P eitl er of tl'le ends with said rod, a control-rod as- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS soclated with said switch mechanism extending parallel to said vertical guide and beiing provided Number Name Date with a plurality of projections adapted to enact 1,407,124 Carr 21, 1922 with said cam, as said slide and said platform move to either end of said vertical guide. 10

HENDRICUS CORNELIS REICHARDT. 

